Calvin Johnson finally shed some more light on his decision to retire in 2016. He told the Italian press on Tuesday that the Detroit Lions’ futility had a lot to do with it. It’s a familiar refrain in Detroit. And the Lions hold the distinction of chasing TWO Hall of Famers out of the game.
Calvin Johnson says he fell victim to the same Lions’ futility that claimed Barry Sanders
The Detroit Lions have chased TWO Hall of Famers out of the game.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
From Johnson’s interview (via Pride of Detroit):
“I didn’t see a chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work I was putting in, it wasn’t worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall and not going anywhere.”
Where have we heard all of this before? Go back to 1999 when Barry Sanders retired, perfectly healthy and probably with another season or two of greatness in his legs.
The Lions actually sued Sanders to recoup $5.5 million of bonus money from his contract, which is probably the same amount of money the Ford Family spent on Thanksgiving dinner that year. Sanders offered to pay the money back if they would release him, and his agent tried to get them to trade the legendary running back. But it was fruitless. The Lions held fast in their shittiness; Sanders’ NFL career was over.
Megatron’s career is over too. Thanks, Lions.
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